Reunion Confusion
by TheArmaniCode
Summary: Ash is returning to Kanto after his time in Alola. Along the way, he stops off in Hoenn, where one of his best friends is adventuring. In fact, this particular friend of his has been on his mind quite a bit since the last time they met. Amourshipping one-shot.


**Hey all. Just a little idea I've had in my head ever since the ending of XYZ, and since it's Valentines Day, I thought this'd be a good time to post it. Hope you all enjoy.**

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The roaring engine of the ferry tore the deep, blue waves of the Hoennian ocean apart, its destination growing ever closer. The sight of a golden, sandy beach backed up by a large port town, a towering lighthouse perched on the top of the top leftmost hill, came clearer into view.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will shortly be docking at Lilycove City, where we will not be departing until tomorrow morning," boomed the announcer across the ocean liner. "We'd like to thank all passengers departing us here for choosing Alola Cruises and we wish you all a pleasant day."

Aboard the ship, a mass crowd of people began to rise from their settlements and head for the gateway to the exits. Among those travellers was a young boy dressed in a blue and white striped t-shirt, a pair of black shorts and his signature red hat, which sat atop his wild, unkempt black hair. Perched atop his left shoulder sat a yellow, mouse like creature with black ears, red cheeks and a lightning bolt tail.

"Man, finally, almost there," Ash exclaimed, beaming widely, the familiar excitement of his voice ever present. "It's been way too long since we've been on land, right Pikachu?" he asked the yellow Pokémon.

"Pikachuu!" Pikachu responded in agreement, an equally ecstatic expression on his face.

After a few minutes, the boat came to a complete standstill and the swarm of people slowly dissipated on to the port. Once Ash was free of the crowd, he sprinted about a metre and spread his arms as far as he could.

"Hoenn Ahoy!" he yelled.

"Pika!" Pikachu mimicked, before turning to face his trainer, a confused expression on its face. "Pikapika?" he asked. Ash scratched his head.

"Yeah, you're right, buddy. It is probably too late to say that after we've already docked," he said, chuckling slightly as his own mistake. He then fixed his gaze back on Pikachu, a much warmer smile on his face this time. "Just a little bit longer and we'll finally get to see her again. You excited?"

"Pikapika!" he said, his face shimmering with excitement.

After his yearlong stay in the Alola region, Ash had been planning to return home to Pallet Town to plan his next course of action, so, as thanks for helping him with his research, Professor Kukui had booked Ash a seat on the all expenses Alola cruise line, which just happened to be passing through both the Kalos and Hoenn regions on its way to Pallet. This immediately caught Ash's attention as they were both places he had a burning desire to visit. This was mainly because he had a strong suspicion that one of his closest friends, Serena, would be in either one of them.

Ever since they had parted ways after their Kalos journey, Ash had barely stopped thinking about when and where the two of them would see each other again. He had enjoyed travelling with Serena immensely and had wanted to find out all about her no doubt amazing journey throughout Hoenn. He had managed to catch her performance in the Hoenn Grand Festival, which was broadcast worldwide, but, like her Kalos Master Class, she had unfortunately fallen short at the last hurdle, being defeated in the final to a quite exceptional coordinator called Lisia. He also hadn't been able to catch the rest of her contests, and was eager to know how they had all gone, though he of course knew that she had to have won five of them, since she had earned the right to compete in the Grand Festival.

But they weren't the only reasons he was so keen to see her.

Just before Serena had left for her plane, she had quickly run back up the escalator, and did something Ash had not been expecting in the slightest. She had kissed him on the lips. It had been a very brief kiss, as the escalator had drawn her away from him after about half a second, but it was long enough for him to register the feeling. He specifically remembered staring blankly at her blushing face in disbelief, as he desperately tried to force words through his mouth, before he eventually pulled himself together and waved her off joyfully. But ever since, he had simply not been able to let the memory escape him. On top of that, he had begun feeling something he never had before, though he couldn't for the life of him figure out what. A warm, soothing feeling would rise from his stomach, and envelop his whole body, every time he recalled that particular memory. He hadn't told anyone about it, though all his classmates at the Hau'oli Pokémon School had asked him about what he was thinking at least once, whenever his mind had fixated back on it during class.

He had stopped off in Kalos a week prior. After visiting his other Kalos travelling companions, Clemont and Bonnie, at the Lumiose gym, he had rung Serena's mother, Grace, and asked if she was home. When she answered no, he asked if she knew where her daughter was. Grace said that she knew that Serena was planning on staying in Lilycove for the next couple of weeks before coming home. Ash's heart had leapt when he had heard she was staying at the town he would be docking in, and had barely been able to contain his excitement since.

Ash came to a stop as he found himself outside the Pokémon Center. 'This is it,' he told himself. He suddenly realised he felt extremely uneasy, a lump forming in his throat. Was he seriously getting nervous about seeing one of his best friends? That didn't make any sense to him. Without any further delays, he pushed the door open and headed inside. The foyer was surprisingly empty, with only about four or five other people hanging around. Ash headed for the front desk.

"Hello," he said to the Nurse Joy at the desk. "I've been told Serena Gabena is staying here?" He breathing became a bit heavier as he anxiously awaited her response. Joy raised her eyebrows.

"Serena Gabena? I'm very sorry young man, but she specifically told me she wouldn't be doing any pictures or autographs today, I'm afraid," she said, with a comforting smile.

"No, no it's not that," Ash replied hastily. "I'm a friend of hers who's come to see her is all." Joy raised her eyebrows even further.

"A friend? Can I take your name please?" she said.

"Um, thing is, I was kind of hoping to surprise her," Ash confessed, hoping she'd believe him. Joy continued eyeing him suspiciously, but after a few moments, her smile returned.

"Very well," she said, taking out a pen and paper and scribbling something down before motioning to her Chansey. "Could you take this up to Miss Gabena's room, please?" The pink Pokémon nodded before hurrying off. "If I could please ask you to wait here?" she asked, warmly.

Ash obliged, moving away from the front desk. After about thirty seconds of waiting with no sign of Serena, he started to worry. What if she wasn't coming? What if she just thought he was just an annoying fan and refused to come downstairs? What –

A loud gasp interrupted his thoughts. Ash glanced to his right, and immediately had to do a double take. The girl standing at the bottom of the staircase had a look of pure surprise plastered on her face. She was dressed in a red T-shirt, some blue short shorts, and a pair of red, open toed shoes. Ash almost didn't recognise her, but the short, honey blonde hair and bright blue eyes gave her away.

"Serena!" he said, beaming broadly.

"Ash!" Serena cried out, her lips curving into an equally wide smile. She ran up to him and enveloped him in a hug. Ash suddenly felt his insides lurch, but he pushed it to one side as he hugged her back. Serena pulled away, her face gently enveloped in a scarlet blanket. "I-I'm sorry, I just- "

"Don't be silly," Ash responded, laughing. "I'm happy to see you too. I take it I surprised you then?" Serena nodded

"You bet you did," she said, the smile refusing to leave her face. She then turned to Pikachu. "Hi Pikachu, it's great to see you too," she said, scratching him under the chin. Pikachu let out a small coo of delight. She then stepped back slightly, breaking the contact between her and Ash.

"I have to say though, I almost didn't recognise you in that new outfit of yours," Ash admitted. Serena's face lit up.

"Yeah. It's a lot warmer here than it is in most of Kalos, so I thought I'd dress accordingly," she said. She then spun on the spot once and raised her right hand to her head. "Say hello to Hoennian Serena," she announced, winking at Ash before giggling.

Ash somehow managed to contain the now familiar jumping in his throat and smiled. "Well I really like it, you look awesome!" he exclaimed. "You've kept your hair the same, though."

Serena nodded. "Mhm. I actually considered growing it out again, since I've been missing my long hair a little, but I decided I'm not going to grow it back until after I become Kalos Queen."

"Good idea," Ash said. "A great sign of just how far you've grown." Serena nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Ash's stomach growled loudly, causing the two of them to laugh.

"It seems some things never change," Serena said. "I was just about to head to breakfast actually, care to join me?"

"You bet," replied Ash. "I haven't eaten a thing all day." As the two of them began to head to the canteen, Ash was having a battle in his head.

'What is wrong with me?' he said to himself. 'Why can't I pull myself together? C'mon Ash, if you let this get to you, Serena will start to worry.'

A little while later, the two of them were sitting at opposite ends of a table in the canteen. A platter of breakfast food sat in front of them, most of which was being devoured by Ash. Pikachu was propped on the seat next to him feasting on a mountain of Pokémon food.

"Oh yeah, that's really hit the spot," Ash said as he swallowed his mouthful. "Right buddy?" Pikachu chirped in agreement, his mouth still slightly full. He then turned back to Serena. "Anyways, how've you found Hoenn?" His expression then fell slightly as he recalled one very specific memory. "I saw you at the Grand Festival. I'm really sorry it turned out that way." Serena shook her head quickly, still smiling.

"It's OK," she said, a surprisingly upbeat tone in her voice. "Palermo was right when she said contests would be valuable experience for me. They're like a fusion between battles and performances. I'm glad I could learn so much, and have so much fun! After all, nothing we do – "

"– is a waste of time," Ash finished with her, causing the two of them to laugh. "G-glad to see you so optimistic," he said, his voice shaking slightly as he began to speak. Thankfully, Serena didn't seem to have noticed. "You must have a lot of fans then," he continued. "Nurse Joy almost didn't let me see you because she thought I just wanted to hassle you."

"Yeah," Serena replied. "It's actually pretty crazy. You wouldn't believe how many people have wanted pictures and autographs after contests, especially the Grand Festival. One girl even had a little toy figure of me. Isn't that the cutest?" She said, that familiar, beaming smile present on her face once more.

"Yeah, definitely," Ash agreed. As his eyes wandered back to the table, looking for some more food, he caught sight of a blue band on Serena's left wrist. "Hey, wait a minute. Isn't that?" Serena followed his gaze and grinned, raising her hand to show Ash the ribbon he had given her during their adventure.

"You didn't think I'd forget about this, did you?" She said. "I've also started wearing it on my contest outfit. I don't know if you noticed?"

"Oh yeah!" Ash remarked, remembering the long, red dress she was wearing at the Grand Festival, the blue ribbon tied to her chest suddenly flashing into mind. "I'm so glad you're still wearing it."

"Of course I am," Serena said, her blush returning. "It was my gift from you after all. It reminded me of you." She shook her head quickly. "Anyways, what about you? How was Alola?" Ash straightened up, the look of joy he only ever had on his face when battling or discussing Pokémon returning.

"It was awesome! I'll be honest, it was a little weird going back to school of all places, but it was so much fun! And man, the island trials," he pumped his right fist. "I'm getting stoked just thinking about them! So many strong Pokémon!" he yelled, Pikachu crying in agreement from his seat. He then sat back again. "I feel so much stronger now, like I'm even closer to being a real Pokémon master."

"That's the Ash I know," Serena remarked. "Always moving forward." Her blush slowly swept across her cheeks again. "It's been really great seeing you again. I kept wondering when – " She stopped abruptly as she heard her Pokénav ringing. She glanced at the screen quickly before standing up. "I'm really sorry Ash, I just have to take this quickly," she said, before dashing back off to the foyer.

Ash mumbled something like "No problem." Truth be told, he was glad Serena had to leave for a minute, as his insides were still refusing to cooperate with his brain, and he was desperate for a chance to try and calm himself. As soon as Ash thought Serena was out of earshot, he smacked his head on the table.

"Get. A. Grip." He said to himself, quietly, but firmly. "You're supposed to be future champion; how can you keep losing it like this?" He slowed his breathing, feeling the nausea dissipate slightly. Then, suddenly, recollection flashed in his mind. Lumiose Airport. The escalator. Serena running towards him. Her soft, sweet lips against his. The smiling, blushing girl, slowly shrinking, moving further and further away, further from him.

"Pika!" He suddenly felt a pair of paws shaking him. He turned to see his best friend staring at him, a knowing, determined expression on his face. "Pika!" the electric Pokémon cried again, as if trying to motivate him. Ash only then realised his hands were partly covering his face, which suddenly felt rather warm. He groaned.

"You're right buddy. It's no good. I can't keep hiding it from her. I'm…I'm going to have to talk to her about it." Pikachu nodded, a bright smile back on his face. As if on cue, he saw Serena walking back towards the table. She gave him another apologetic look as she took a seat.

"Sorry about that Ash. I had to talk to Lisia quickly," she said. Ash's eyebrows raised at the mention of that name.

"Lisia? Isn't that the girl who beat you in the final?" he asked.

"Yep," Serena said. "We actually met at the Slateport contest months ago, and became really good friends. We're both planning to travel to Sinnoh next. She just wanted to talk to me about trying to sort boat tickets. We're planning to take on their contests. And then after that," A look of determination spread across her face, as she raised her right fist. "I reckon I'll be ready to challenge Aria again!"

Ash smiled at her, but it was only really a half smile. The other half of his mind was thinking about exactly what he was going to say to her. Unfortunately for him, his luck had run out, as Serena had noticed his lack of reaction.

"Ash, are you okay?" she asked softly, her expression falling.

"No!" he replied instinctively. "I mean, yes. I mean, sort of," he finished, somewhat lamely. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Serena, can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course," she said, her eyes filled with concern. Ash found himself being drawn to her gorgeous blue eyes. 'Focus,' he told himself.

"Well, it's about when we said goodbye. You know…on the escalator," Serena's blush returned at full force.

"O-oh, right. Yeah," She responded, quietly. "What about it?"

"Well, ever since then, I've been feeling kind of funny. In fact, really funny," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I…well, I'm not exactly good with this type of stuff." Serena sweatdropped slightly.

'You're telling me,' she thought to herself.

"But, I just haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I haven't been able to stop thinking about _you._ And every time I do, I get this really weird feeling inside of me, like something warm is spreading all around my body. It kind of freaks me out, because I've never felt anything like it before. Again, I don't know exactly what it is or why it's happening, but I think that…" He took a deep breath before speaking again, not taking his eyes off Serena's for even a second. "…I like it."

Serena's mouth was hanging open slightly. She was shocked, totally and utterly shocked. Was he actually saying what she thought he was saying? Was her wildest dream coming true? She forced herself to speak.

"I…I'm…Ash, I'm…glad I make you feel like that," she said, keeping her voice as steady as possible. Ash continued staring back at her, before a small thought popped into his mind. He considered it for a split second before acting.

"And Serena, can I tell you one more thing?" he asked, tentatively

"Mhm," Serena said, in something resembling a squeak. Ash moved in closer, putting his hand behind her head, gently pulling her towards him, and kissed her. He felt it again, the warmth, the softness, the sweetness. Her lips were pulling him in like some sort of exotic delicacy, that he was desperate to savour every moment of. He had no idea how much he'd truly missed it until he felt it again. The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds longer than their first before he pulled away. He stared back into her eyes, her mouth curled up into a disbelieving smile as he spoke again.

"I don't ever want it to stop."

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 **And there we go! I let you guys make your minds up what happens from there. This was my first attempt at an Amourshipping fanfic, so I hope I did okay! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next time, take care**


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